Ambulance Bonus Payments Extended

 

From Page, Wolfberg & Wirth:

Congress just passed a two-year budget deal, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (H.J. Res. 59), and it includes a three-month extension of the ambulance bonus payments.

 

 

The bill now goes to the President, who is expected to sign it into law.  This means that the Medicare ground ambulance 2% urban, 3% rural and 22.6% super-rural bonuses that were set to expire on December 31, 2013 will remain in place until March 31, 2014. 

This is a pleasant surprise for the ambulance industry, especially since providers sustained a number of significant cuts to their Medicare reimbursement over the past few years.  Stay tuned for further developments as Congress is poised to consider more permanent Medicare payment reform in 2014.  It is possible that future legislation may yield a longer-term extension of the ambulance bonus payments.

For more details visit pwwemslaw.com